Senior point guard Emily Mellema delivered a career-best performance for the Wyoming Cowgirls on Sunday, but her 27-point effort wasn’t enough to overcome the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who claimed a 62-51 victory, Casper Star Tribune reports.
Mellema’s stellar showing came on 10-of-18 shooting and provided a spark for Wyoming, which led by six early in the first quarter. Malene Pedersen added 12 points, but offensive struggles from other key players allowed Gonzaga to take control.
The Bulldogs countered Wyoming’s hot start with an 11-point run fueled by accurate 3-point shooting, seizing a 20-15 lead by the end of the first quarter. Wyoming’s center Allyson Fertig was held to just six points on 3-of-8 shooting, and the Cowgirls continued to feel the absence of senior Tess Barnes, who missed her second consecutive game.
Wyoming made a push in the third quarter, narrowing the deficit to 39-37, but Gonzaga’s efficient offense and a strong defensive effort thwarted the Cowgirls’ rally. The Bulldogs shot 47% from the field compared to Wyoming’s 34% and connected on 6-of-14 from beyond the arc, while Wyoming struggled at 8-for-25 from deep.
Cowboys Earn At-Large Bid to NCAA Cross Country Championships
The University of Wyoming men’s cross country team has secured an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships, marking the program’s seventh appearance on the national stage.
The Cowboys earned their spot after finishing sixth in the highly competitive NCAA Mountain Regional with 185 points. Junior Jacob White led the way, finishing 19th in the 10k race with a time of 29:43.2.
The NCAA Championships will take place Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin. Wyoming will compete against a strong field that includes Mountain Region teams BYU, Northern Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah State.
The UW women’s team, which finished 12th at the Regional meet, did not qualify for the championship. Leah Christians paced the Cowgirls with a 52nd-place finish in 21:04.
Wyoming Volleyball Team Eliminated from Postseason Contention
The Wyoming volleyball team’s hopes of making the Mountain West Conference tournament came to an end last week following a pair of heart-wrenching five-set losses.
On Thursday, the Cowgirls fell to Fresno State in a dramatic match that saw the Bulldogs rally from a 2-1 deficit to win 25-21, 18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-7. The defeat came on the heels of a critical loss to Boise State, which locked up the final playoff spot.
The Cowgirls (14-11, 6-9 MW) are set to host Utah State in their final home match of the season on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Despite missing the postseason, Wyoming will aim to finish the season on a high note.
